


Broken Record

by orphan_account



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Gen, Memories, Resets, Self-Harm, Suicide, Undertale Genocide Route
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-18
Updated: 2017-01-18
Packaged: 2018-09-18 08:06:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9375827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: A short one-shot about dust and memories.OrA fanfic in which Sans suffers for a demon's amusement.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Enjoy.

Hazy light filtered through the windows. It had no right to shine in a place where death was so imminent. The kid - Frisk, Chara, whatever - focused on Sans, the only enemy in sight, with those emotionless eyes. 

The judgement hall was free from dust.

And then it wasn't.

Reset after reset. Death after death. The pain of a knife slicing into his bones, over. 

And over. 

And over again.

Sometimes it was the kid taking his life.

Sometimes it was himself, clutching the blade in the deafening silence of his bathroom, staring at his reflection with empty eyes, too broken to pray that this time - this time - it would finally end. 

He just wanted it to end.

The knife obliterated his brittle ribs, shattering them easily. His shirt was ruined. Papyrus would be mad at him, being so clumsy. The dust would never wash out.

He was so weak.

He couldn't even save his brother. The one person who he could talk to, no matter what timeline they were in. He would always sit there, his eyes filled with sadness, as Sans spilled his guts out, sobbing and shaking as he recounted all those times he had watched him die at the hands of that brat.

He remembered, now, as his bones crumbled away like chalk, how Papyrus had hugged him close, how he had said nothing because nothing could be said, how he had sat down with him and held him until his sobs faded away and he slept restlessly - only then did his little brother allow himself to cry, because he had to be strong for Sans, he had to protect him, he couldn't let him see how much his words had hurt him.

No, thought Sans. No, I'm the one who was supposed to be strong. I was supposed to protect you.

Blackness closed in.

He was falling. 

Falling, and little bits of him were being left behind. 

There's Grillby, not asking questions when Sans stumbles in on an empty bar and asks for whatever he's got left. He gently nudges him awake when he's passed out drunk, saying Papyrus is looking for him. 

There's the bunny lady - she runs the shop in Snowdin. She's always nice to them, smiling and giving him 'discounts' whenever he can't afford a Bisicle because he already spent all his gold on drinks.

There's the lady behind the door, sharing laughs and jokes back and forth with him all day. Toriel, her name was. He knew her on the surface as a lover at one point, before the resets started to get to him.

There's Doggo, smoking a blunt together, getting high and talking about stupid shit to pretend like everything's fine, that both their lives are fine.

There's Undyne, befriending Papyrus with a grin and a laugh. She protects him, from reality and from the kid. She sacrifices herself to buy them a chance, even if she is too late for his brother.

There's Alphys, visiting his house with her girlfriend to make sure that everything's fine, that he'll keep on living, as if it's worth living in a world without Papyrus.

There's Asgore, a broken shell of himself, tortured by the things he's done and by the things he must do, too broken to realize that his kingdom is falling apart and that his people need him.

There's Mettaton, distracting the world from the pain with bright lights and flashy makeup, a star that doesn't shine so much as shimmer with hidden tears and holes that can't be filled with fans.

There's Flowey, the stupid prick of a dandelion who first introduced Sans to the pain of living the same day on repeat.

There's Gaster, who even now is hard to remember.

And Papyrus, his grin stretching from ear to nonexistent ear, protesting good-naturedly at his puns, scolding him when he forgets to feed his pet rock or pick up that silly old sock, giving his murderer his trust, and holding Sans tenderly when everything is just too much to bear.

 

His brother, his friend, his anchor.

 

Sans' vision blurs as it all slips away.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The world skips like a broken record.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Skip.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Skip

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

skip

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hazy light filters through the windows.

**Author's Note:**

> Criticism is greatly appreciated.


End file.
